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“Avery’s like wildfire. Something in her burns the way I do.” He tosses his head back, sending the wet clump of hair sticking to his forehead out of the way. “I’d trade anything to keep her alight, to make her smile or yell or, truly, anything at all as long as she wants to share it with me. I want nothing from her but tobearound her.”
My breath seizes in my throat. “That’s how I feel about Lily.”
It’s a love that feels both generous and all-consuming.
“Then, if you really do love her, little brother, the only thing you can do is show her. They’re both strongheaded and painfully independent, but it’s what makes them so rewarding to love. At the center of it all, something’s waiting for you that’s like nothing you’ve ever felt.”
I’ve never thought of Luca as any kind of romantic in the past, but here he is, a huge fucking softie. Avery really has made him a different person, and I can’t wait to never let him live this down.
“So, the only thing I can do is keep showing Lily how much I love her?”
“I don’t want to encourage something I’m against.” He sighs again, and I splash him. He shakes out his hair, the droplets hitting me. “But yeah, Nico, and maybe try telling her everything you told me. There’s a chance she’ll explain the part of herself she hasn’t shown you yet.”
“Do you know?”
“I don’t, and even if I did, it’s not for me to tell. Love’s not a game of telephone.”
We bob in the water before climbing back into the kayak and rowing ourselves to shore.
Chapter36
Lily
Another birthday.Another year where my life feels as messy as it always does.
“Make a wish,” Avery whispers across the table, her eyes budding with anticipation. She looks from the gold-foil candles on my chocolate ganache cake and back to me.
I search my mind for anything I could wish for right now but come up short. I’m in Europe with my best friend, her husband, and the man who has been hacking away at the cage surrounding my heart.
What more can I need?
My freshly manicured nails twirl the gift from Nico, a diamond and purple sapphire tennis bracelet that matches the tattered friendship bracelet from Rio. He put it on my wrist this morning after he sang me a cute birthday song in Spanish.
Everything has been near perfect, from the gift to the hours spent lounging by the pool and stuffing ourselves with fruit to the extravagant dinner tonight.
But my time has expired. This evening, I have to confess to Avery about the blog, the books, and the plagiarism. I have to tell my best friend that I’m Zoe Mona.
Sure, it’s my fault for waiting until the last night of our trip to tell her everything, but it doesn’t dull the pain of anticipation.
The candles stare back at me. My friends—no, my family—patiently wait for me to extinguish the flames. I keep a smile plastered on my face, pretending to conjure up somethingextraordinary. Instead, my thoughts creak like an old scale, trying to balance two things.
Hurting Avery. Hurting Nico.
So I blow out my candles and ask for the only thing I can think of right now.
No more secrets.
Nico brushes his fingers over my bare thigh. “What did you wish for?”
“Are you a rookie? If I tell you, then my wish won’t come true.” I mimic his words from a few months ago.
Time feels impossibly liquid in my mind.
Avery claps as her husband looks at her with so much love, it’s almost potent enough to taste. They pass around slices of cake, and we dive our forks into the goodness.
“One final beach visit?” I ask the table when our glasses and dessert plates sit empty.
“Yes, the stars look stunning from here.” My best friend pushes out of her chair, an elegant peach dress rippling around her sun-kissed skin.
